Fatty acid derivatives, which are mainly of fungal and bacterial metabolites, are subdivided into saturated and unsaturated type of compounds. A number of compounds have been isolated from Bacillus sp. in the art, such as iso-13 methyl tetradecanoic acid, fatty acid (Arch. Vetr. Ital 20,215 1969) peptide (Shoji et al., J. Antibiotics activity (Aszalos et al, J. Chromatography, 37, 477, 1968). The antibacterial pseudomonic acid produced by a Pseudomonas species represents an interesting new type of fatty acid ester (Berdy, CRC Hand Book of Antibiotic Compounds Vol VI p-391 1980). It contains several unusual chemical features in this family, such as epoxy, pyran and 9-hydroxy nonanic acid constituents. These compounds are normally soluble in nonpolar organic solvents such as hydrocarbons. Hydroxy acid was isolated primarily from bacterial species (Berdy, CRC Hand Book of Antibiotic Compound Vol II, 35, 1980). Antimicrobial and antitumor activity of natural fatty acids derived from different kinds of microbes including fungi, Actinomycetes or Myxobacteria, is a frequently reported property of such type of compounds. Fatty acid esters (Glycerides) such as monoolein, monolaurin, eoixenotid, pseudomonic acid A1-B were isolated from different microbes with varied antimicrobial activity.
Cyclic acylpeptide, halobacillin from Bacillus species 11-cycloheptyl-2hydroxy undecanoic acid from thermo acidic Bacillus sp, sarcinic acid from different Bacillus sp. have been reported by earlier workers (Comprehensive natural products chemistry Vol 8 1986).